WALKS WITH NELLIE ~ MY WAY AROUND – BRASSINGTON TO TISSINGTON ~ BY SALLY MOSLEY

The next dozen or so miles of my challenge walk could best be described as a pilgrimage, because this area of Derbyshire and Staffordshire contains a selection of quaint and historic churches.

As early as 1663, Brassington had a King’s Highway passing through it. Inhabitants of the village had strict instructions to maintain and upkeep this important road. ‘Everie one everie yeare scowre their ditches adjoyieinge to the King’s highway before the first daie of May or else to forfeite 12d’. Nowadays this is carried out on resident’s behalf by the local Council but I think their annual rates may well be in excess of a shilling!

It was lovely to visit St James church which is situated on an elevated bank, towering above houses and rooftops which seem to be dovetailed into the hillside below. Dating back in part to around 1200, there are many Norman features to be found, although with later extensions and a castellated tower it looks somewhat like an ecclesiastical fortress.

We headed past the church to a path at the far end of the churchyard then ascended to emerge onto Hillside Lane before walking down to the ‘West End’. This contains some of the oldest and most interesting properties in Brassington, a hotchpotch of architectural styles with some properties dating back several centuries. Many of the charming 17th and 18th century houses were built on the profits of lead mining. The village was so lead productive that by 1683 it warranted its own deputy Barmaster.

We crossed over to walk down Nether Lane. Thankfully I planned this walk to be on mostly sound surface to avoid slipping, slithering and splodging through a gloop of wet wintry conditions. Even so, I have to admit there were a few parts where I lost traction or my boot disappeared beneath ‘terra not firma’.

Just before Clipshead Farm we began to follow a footpath on the right through fields and small gates in the hedgerows that led us down past Crowtrees Farm to Netherton which lies in a sheltered hollow. I then cleaned the mud off my boots and Nellie washed her paws in swollen puddles close to where the Havenhill Dale Brook and Bentley Dumble watercourses marry.

A right here and we were on the up, heading for the pretty little village of Bradbourne. Sitting high on a hill amongst a gently rolling landscape with panoramic views, Bradbourne is proud to boast the fact that it is a Thankful Village, one of only fifty one in the country – all of its residents that went off to fight in the Great War came home safe. It is a peaceful village in more ways than one as the only sounds I could hear on the day of our wander were the church clock chiming every quarter hour and birds singing. Lining our route were lots of wonderful snowdrops, but their little bells were silent.

We passed the walled and private Bradbourne Hall which stands on the site of a medieval grange built by Dunstable Priory in Bedfordshire. The Elizabethan Hall with later extensions was at one time home to the Buckston family. Thomas Buckston was a soldier who fought at Culloden Moor in 1746, part of an army that pursued Bonnie Prince Charlie when he fled from Ashbourne on his return to Scotland. Thomas was reputedly one of the oldest officers in H.M. service having died in 1811 at the age of 87.

The nearby Church of All Saints has a Norman tower with a fabulously decorated doorway arch, said to be one of the best in the country. In the graveyard is an ancient ornate cross shaft, thought to date from the 8th century, and the grave of Sir Alan Bates, the actor, who died in 2004. The panoramic views from here over the Vale of Parwich are without doubt the best I’ve seen from any churchyard, ever!

Onwards and downwards now, following Mill Lane, but then turning off along a bridlepath that forms part of the Sustrans Route 547 to skirt around Bradbourne Mill, a mid to late C18 former water-powered corn mill, now converted for holiday use.

We used the footbridge to cross beside Tissington ford where I observed several ‘shall I, shan’t I’ drivers pondering whether to head through.

Bent Lane was a lovely quiet walk affording far-reaching views. This led me to Tissington where we ended our amble of a few miles with a shared toasted sandwich from the food kiosk at Tissington Station.

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Sally Mosley

FOOTNOTE BY NELLIE:

Roses are red, violets are blue

I might have missed Valentine’s

But I do love you!

Slurps and kisses, Nellie xx